The children’s commissioner is calling for urgent changes to the provisions available in mainstream schools, as a new analysis suggests 400,000 children are seeking support from health services for a suspected neurodevelopmental condition.
Dame Rachel de Souza also wants the new government to introduce a national framework for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support in nurseries and schools, and move to a needs-led support system rather than a diagnosis-led approach.
In a report published today, she says that profiling tools should be rolled out across all nurseries and schools in the country to identify pupils who are likely to have a neurodevelopmental disorder and additional needs.
In community health services, children wait longest on average if they are referred for Down’s syndrome (two years and seven months) and if they are waiting for the school nursing service (two and a half years), the report says.
It recommends that Labour ensure every local area has sufficient numbers of school nurses, amid concerns over shortages.
And it calls for the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to promote “the good practice happening in areas with the shortest waiting times” and the best outcomes for neurodiverse children.
The report adds that neurodevelopmental disorder assessment pathways “should start with a confident ‘front door’”, including schools.
In it, Dame Rachel argues that “schools should be equipped to provide all the core services that children need to thrive”.
But the report says that this “doesn’t mean placing more burden on schools”, but should rather ensure that other agencies “are commissioning early interventions that are integrated with children’s education”.
The report recommends that SEND health services are integrated into families of schools and delivered on site.
Mental health teams ‘will need to work for all pupils’
The Labour government has pledged to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.
But the report warns that mental health support teams tend to use therapeutic approaches “that are designed with neurotypical patients in mind”, which can be “less effective for neurodiverse children experiencing poor mental health, and even harmful in some cases”.
The children’s commissioner also recommends that NHS England should issue guidance for integrated care boards and health organisations on commissioning inclusive mental health services for autistic children, including for mental health support in school.
The report recommends that the Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care “work together to create a fairer system of resource allocation in the SEND system” which is currently “subject to a postcode lottery”.
Dame Rachel says that while existing commitments from the government to fix the broken healthcare and SEND systems are welcome, “better support in mainstream schools and improved awareness and training for frontline professionals in education, health and care” are needed.
In the report, she says she believes a “better integration between health, education and social care” would mean many more children’s additional needs could be identified and supported “without families feeling forced to seek a diagnosis”.
A government spokesperson said it is “committed to improving inclusivity and expertise within mainstream schools, and making sure special schools cater to those with the most complex needs to ensure the best chance life chances for every child”.
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